Cartridge with antipilfering pistojf



March 24, 1964 5, J SARNOFF 3,126,004

CARTRIDGE WITH ANTIPILFERING PISTON Filed March 12, 1962 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

S/an/ey J. 5 Off BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,126,004 CARTRIDGEWITH ANTHPILFERING PISTON Stanley J. Samofi, 3 Pooks Hiil Road, Bethesda14, Md. Fiied Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 179,tl86 7 Claims. (Cl. 128-218)This invention relates to a cartridge for use with hypodermic cartridgeholders and particularly to the type of cartridge wherein a tube havinga hollow needle at one end is filled with medication and at the otherend is provided with a piston to evacuate the tube contents through theneedle.

It is known that, surreptitious removal of the fluid in conventionalcartridges can be effected, as by inserting a very thin needle tubingeither through the piston or between the piston and the inner wall ofthe cartridge, or by the removal and replacement of the piston. Suchsurreptitious removal presents a grave problem where cartridges areloaded with a fluid containing a narcotic. Unauthorized persons, such asaddicts, have been known to remove all or some of the contents of such acartridge, refill the same with another fluid, such as water or salinesolution, leaving the cartridge without visible indication that the samehad been tampered with. Particularly where some of the original contentsof the cartridge remains and the diluted drug in the cartridge has someeffect on a patient, it is diflicult to determine that abstraction ofcontents of the cartridge had been effected.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved cartridgeconstructed to make readily visible any removal and replacement of thepiston or penetration thereof, or of the sliding of a very fine needledown along the piston between it and the glass wall of the cartridge toeffect removal of the cartridge contents.

The manner in which the object of the invention is attained will be madeclear by a consideration of the following specification and claims whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cartridge of the one-use-throw-away type embodyinga piston sealed with a wax;

FIG. 2 is a bottom end view of the cartridge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 in which the piston is sealed with awax and an intermediate fluid, and

FIG. 4 shows a still further embodiment of the invention wherein thepiston is sealed into the tube utilizing a dye impregnated wax.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a tube of glass or the like provided atone end with a hollow needle 12, of any type known in the art, andprovided at the other end with a piston 14-. Diagrammatically, theneedle is illustrated as having a perforating end 16 which may be thrustthrough a flanged rubber stopper 18 with the aid of a disc 20 rigidlysecured to the needle. The tube is filled with a fluid medication 22.

The piston 14 is provided with some form of coupling means for couplingthe same with a plunger 23 (see FIG. 1) of a hypodermic cartridge holderand, as illustrated, the coupling means is in the form of a threadedstud 24 having a shoulder 26 to limit the threaded movement of theplunger onto the stud, in order to prevent the plunger engaging withsealing compositions to be described.

In order to make any tampering with the piston 14 evident, the couplingface of the piston is covered with a thin film 28 of sealing wax orother like material which extends to and onto the inner wall of the tube10. Any movement of the piston relative to the tube will result incrumbling or fracturing of the sealing wax and make evident priormovement of the piston. Moreover, the exposed end face of the wax mayhave impressed therein an intricate pattern design, as shown in FIG. 2,whereby puncturing of the stopper will become readily apparent.

3,126,004 Patented Mar. 24, 1964 The sealing wax is of a character whichis brittle at normal temperatures though viscous at higher temperatures.Such waxes and the methods for impressing a design therein are wellknown and need not be given here.

In a modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the coupling end ofthe piston 14 is flooded with a dye 30 in fluid form while the cartridgeis held upright, piston end uppermost. The dye may be of any well-knowntype. The following are exemplary of those dyes particularlyrecommended: Resorcin Green; Solid Green 0; Ponceau 4GB; Mordant Yellow0; Biebrich Scarlet; Benzo Purpurine B; Brilliant Green; Methyl VioletB; Erothrosine; Alizarine Blue; Methylene Blue; and Safranine. Theconcentration of the dye and the fiuidizing medium are not critical andmay be as desired to give the desired visual effect and fluidity. Of thedyes, Methylene Blue is preferred. After the dye in fluid form has beenpoured onto the piston, it is sealed in place with a resin or waxcoating or barrier 32, which coating is fluid or viscous at above roomtemperature and solid at normal room temperatures. With thisarrangement, when the piston is moved in either direction, streaks ofcolor will appear on the interior wall'of the tubing and on surfaces ofthe piston. Furthermore, even were all parts recleaned prior torefilling of the tube with another fluid and replacement of the piston,it would be diflicult to replace the particular dye and thus make itappear as before the displacement of the piston. Likewise penetration ofthe piston by a needle or insertion of a needle between the piston andthe inner wall of the cartridge would carry into the interior of thecartridge some of the dye which condition would be evident upon visualinspection. The dye may be in the form of a thin fluid film of about.05" though the thickness of the film is unimportant.

In a still further modification of the invention, and as illustrated inFIG. 4, the piston end of the cartridge is coated with a wax 36impregnated with a dye which has the property of permanently changingcolor when heated. The dye chosen should have a color-changingtemperature a few degrees higher than the flow temperature of the wax sothat were an attempt made to relocate the wax without using precisetemperature control apparatus, the temperature applied to the wax tomelt the same would be above the color-changing temperature of the dye,thus facilitating detection by simple inspection of tampering with thecontents of the cartridge.

Dyes of the type described which are useful herein are numerous and wellknown. Some specific dyes are disclosed in the patents to John G.Hainsworth, 2,798,855 and 2,798,856, and in J. C. Davis Patent2,606,654. These dyes in their environments may be used to impregnatethe wax or paraffin, or other resin, whose flow temperature should beselected to be slightly below the colorchange temperature of the dyeselected.

In FIG. 4 the piston 14 is coated with the impregnated dye-carryingvehicle 36, the impregnating dye and its suspension vehicle beingindicated as a dotted structure.

Any attempt to eiface a needle prick through the piston by remelting theresin vehicle will be made apparent by reason of the permanent colorchange of the dye.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been illustrated anddescribed, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art.It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not to belimited to the particular arrangements disclosed, and it is intended inthe appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit andscope of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A cartridge withan antipilfering piston comprising:

a tube adapted to contain a medicament,

a piston at one end of the tube having a sealing compound thereoncovering the whole area thereof, said sealing compound being brittle atnormal temperatures in order to function as a means indicative of thepilfering of the contents of the cartridge through the piston ordisplacement of the piston, and a coupling stud afiixed to the pistonand extending through the sealing compound. 2. The structure of claim 1wherein the sealing compound is of heat fusible material, covers theentire face of the piston, except for the area occupied by the couplingstud, and has a stamping thereon distorted by the application of heat tothe compound.

' 3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the coupling stud is of twodiameters, with the outer portion of the stud of smaller diameter thanthe portion closest to the piston,

said larger diametered portion extending beyond the thickness of thesealing compound and said smaller diametered portion being threaded forengagement with a plunger, the shoulder between the two diameteredportions preventing the plunger from penetrating into the sealingcompound as the plunger is threaded onto the stud.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the sealing compound is of heatfusible, puncturable material,

said sealing compound having a stamping thereon distorted by theapplication of heat to said compound.

5. A cartridge with an antipilfering piston comprising:

a tube adapted to contain medication,

a closure for the tube,

a liquid dye on that face of the closure which is not in contact withthe medication, and

a resin coating on the dye sealing the dye in the space between theinner walls of the tube, resin, and closure.

6. A cartridge with an antipilfering piston comprising:

a tube adapted to contain medication,

a closure for the tube, and

a dye-impregnated wax on that face of the closure which is not incontact with the medication, said dye being of a character to changecolor permanently when heated above the flow temperature of the Wax.

7. A cartridge with an antipilfering piston comprising:

a tube containing medication,

a piston at one end of the tube,

a needle at the other end of the tube, and

a dye-impregnated wax on the face of the piston not in contact with themedication, the dye changing color permanently when heated below thewax-melting temperature.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS558,756 De Backer Apr. 21, 1896 1,100,799 Wedig June 23, 1914 1,516,454Norton Nov. 18, 1924 2,153,428 Kosar Apr. 4, 1939 2,734,649 Callahan etal. Feb. 14, 1956

1. A CARTRIDGE WITH AN ANTIPILFERING PISTON COMPRISING: A TUBE ADAPTEDTO CONTAIN A MEDICAMENT, A PISTON AT ONE END OF THE TUBE HAVING ASEALING COMPOUND THEREON COVERING THE WHOLE AREA THEREOF, SAID SEALINGCOMPOUND BEING BRITTLE AT NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN ORDER TO FUNCTION AS AMEANS INDICATIVE OF THE PILFERING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE CARTRIDGETHROUGH THE PISTON OR DISPLACEMENT OF THE PISTON, AND A COUPLING STUDAFFIXED TO THE PISTON AND EXTENDING THROUGHT THE SEALING COMPOUND.
 5. ACARTRIDGE WITH AN ANTIPILFERING PISTON COMPRISING: A TUBE ADAPTED TOCONTAIN MEDICATION, A CLOSURE FOR THE TUBE,
 6. A CARTRIDGE WITH ANANTIPILFERING PISTON COMPRISING: A TUBE ADAPTED TO CONTAIN MEDICATION, ACLOSURE FOR THE TUBE, AND A DYE-IMPREGNATED WAX ONTHAT FACE OF THECLOSURE WHICH IS NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE MEDICATION, SAID DYE BEING OF ACHARACTER TO CHANGE COLOR PERMANENTLY WHEN HEATED ABOVE THE FLOWTEMPERATURE OF THE WAX.